Here I Return
by Tallulah876
Summary: Before Advent Children. Each chapter begins with Cloud returning from a job. The future seemed bright at first, but slowly things for Cloud and Tifa began spiraling downwards.
1. A Place to Call Home

Cloud smiled into the wind as he maneuvered through the newly constructed streets of Midgar. He'd been gone barely two weeks, yet so much had already changed. Sector One was practically finished- well on its way to being a bustling metropolis. The other Sectors were right behind Sector One. Cloud shook his head. Three months after the meteor crisis and Midgar already had numerous new buildings and streets. It had all happened so fast it made his head spin. As he sped down the street on his motorcycle, the sound of construction surrounded him on all sides.

He quickly made a tricky little swerve to avoid crossing pedestrians. His hand automatically went to his pocket. Cloud felt the thick bundle of gil. _Strife Delivery Service..._he thought with a wry smile. He never would have imagined that his future career would be a delivery boy. In fact, for a long time, he had never imagined a future for himself at all. But as he pushed the money deeper into his pocket, he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of pride. _Who cares how I got it..._he thought stubbornly. _It's a lot of money. _Another smile tugged at his lips as he thought of all the use he could put the money to.

Cloud tightened his grip on the handlebars as he entered Sector Seven. The road here wasn't quite as smooth; Sector Seven was still being constructed. However, since he had been gone there had been a lot of progress. Along the bumpy road were the unmistakeable signs of new foundations getting ready to be dug.

He made a careful turn onto another street. This street contained a large amount of new, and completed buildings. They lined the street, bunched close together and creating a narrow alley way every now and then. He brought his motorcycle to a stop outside one of them. It was an unremarkable building; gray concrete like the rest, with several windows and one door. Nevertheless, Cloud climbed off his motorcycle and grinned broadly at the plain wooden door.

As Cloud opened the door, his senses were assaulted with the smell of fresh paint. _So they've been busy while I was gone too..._he thought amusedly as he took off his shoes and crept out of the foyer. His eyes widened in shock as he turned into the bar area. There were tables with chairs placed tastefully around the bar and at the back of the room, was a brand new wooden and marble bar. His surprise quickly turned to pleasure as he noticed the two figures bustling around at the far end.

Both wearing old shirts of his over their clothes, with their hair tied back away from their face were Tifa and Marlene. They were splattered from head to toe with white paint. Tifa was balanced on one of her new tall barstools, which was balanced on a wooden box, painting the upper half of the wall while Marlene hovered around anxiously.

"You're gunna fall Tifa!" Marlene moaned, covering her face dramatically with her hands. "I just know it!"

Tifa gave a tinkling laugh.

"I'm not going to fall Marlene!" she chided her. "Besides, how else am I suppose to reach all the way up here?"

Marlene ignored her. She looked up at Tifa pleadingly.

"Please come down Tifa!" she begged.

Tifa looked down at Marlene incrediously.

"Honestly Marlene!" she said shaking her head. "What are you so afraid of? I'm perfectly fine up here. See?"

She wiggled the stool slightly. Marlene let out a little scream.

"Stop, Tifa!" she cried.

Tifa sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm coming down."

She turned around carefully ontop the stool and Cloud laughed outloud at the sight of her paint streaked face. Startled, both her and Marlene let out shreiks. Marlene continued shreiking as Tifa wobbled unsteadily on the stool. Still chuckling, Cloud reached up and placed two stabilizing hands on her waist. Smiling widely, Tifa put her hands on his shoulders and let him lower her to the ground. They stood frozen like that for a moment, their close proximity tempting Cloud to bend his face down to hers and just-

Marlene finally came her senses and knocked this thought out of Cloud's mind.

"Cloud!" she shouted, grabbing him around the legs. "You're back!"

Looking as if she too were knocked out of a daze, Tifa slid her hands of his shoulders and Cloud's hands dropped from her waist.

"Hello Marlene." Cloud said, scratching his head sheepishly.

Marlene grabbed Cloud's hand with both of hers and shot Tifa a scathing look.

"Did you _see_ Tifa, Cloud?" she said accusingly. "She could have _died_!"

Cloud glanced at Tifa nervously.

"I'm sure Tifa knows what-" he began weakly.

Marlene cut him off and looked up at him pleadingly.

"She always does stuff like this! Tell Tifa to be more _careful_ Cloud!" she begged. "_Tell_ her! She'll listen to _you_!"

He shot Tifa another unsure glance. Tifa sighed and bent down to talk to Marlene.

"It's okay Marlene." she said gently but firmly. "I wouldn't have died if I fell off the stool."

Marlene looked unsure. Tifa gave Cloud a look over her head before turning back to Marlene.

"Do you want to go finish setting up your room?" Tifa asked Marlene.

She nodded enthusiastically, thoughts of Tifa falling off the stool to her death leaving her mind.

"Okay," Tifa said. "I'll help you get started."

Marlene shot up the stairs. Tifa turned to Cloud with a small smile.

"I'll be right back." she told him. "Go sit at the bar! You can be my first costumer!"

Tifa ran off after Marlene. Cloud watched her leave the room, then headed over to the bar. He sat down on one of the stools and looked over at all the work that had been done in his absence. It was finally looking like a bar. He ran his fingers over the marble top of the bar. There were already shelves behind it, stocked with top-of-the-line everything. He smiled at the half painted walls. Apparently Tifa had been having trouble getting the top half.

"What can I get you?" a voice startled him.

His head shot up. Tifa was standing behind the bar. Her professional manner was ruined only by her paint covered clothing and the broad smile on her face. Cloud felt a smile tugging at his own mouth.

"Something hard." he told her.

Tifa laughed, her professionlism shattering completely. Cloud watched her as she began grabbing bottles off the shelf.

"So..." he said as she began mixing the amber liquids together. "What's up with Marlene?"

Tifa's smile wilted slightly.

"Marlene's...afraid of everything." she sighed. "Heights, spiders, the dark..."

Tifa shook her head and gave Cloud his drink.

"I think she's afraid something will happen to me, or I'll leave her like Barret did...Not that I'm blaming Barret!" she added quickly. "It's just hard for a child her age to accept why he had to leave her."

Cloud nodded and downed his drink. He could understand Marlene's fear for Tifa. He was always afraid for her himself, worried she'd leave the doors unlocked at night or that someone would take advantage of her generous, helpful nature and hurt her. Despite all that had happened to her, Tifa could still be suprisingly naive.

She tilted her head, pearl drop earrings catching the light. "How is it?"

"Perfect." he told her. "As always."

Tifa blushed slightly at the compliment and gave a quiet thank you. She leaned her elbows up on the bar and looked at him inquiringly.

"How did it go?" she asked seriously.

Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out the large wad of gil and placed it on the bar. Tifa's face fell slightly at the sight of the money but looked up quickly with a wide smile.

"That's great Cloud." she said softly. "I'm glad everything went well."

Tifa ducked her head and began cleaning glasses that Cloud knew were already spotless. He watched her curiously for a minute, confused by the sadness that was troubling her beautiful face.

"So..." she said, trying to be casual but failing to keep her voice steady. "I guess this means you have enough for your own place, huh?"

_My own place?_ Cloud thought. The words made his stomach clench unpleasantly.

"Oh...umm I guess so." he muttered.

Tifa was silent. Cloud could tell by the look on her face that she was struggling for words. He was having a similar conflict himself.

"So..." she began softly, tucking her bangs behind her ear. "You're leaving then?"

She glanced up to meet his eyes, but looked away quickly. She ducked her head and began to turn away but Cloud grabbed her arm. Tifa turned her eyes to him, looking up from under her thick eyelashes. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth.

"Do you want me to leave?" Cloud asked quietly.

Tifa's head jerked up, the expression in her eyes was surprised. Cloud smiled at her and let go of her arm. She returned his smile slowly.

"No Cloud..." she said, a trace of shyness in her voice. "I don't want you to leave."

He watched her as she ducked her head again, and a tinge of pink appeared in her cheeks.

"I'll stay then." he said softly.

Again her head jerked up. He felt his grin widen at the pleasure and shock in her face.

"You mean it Cloud?" she asked, the beginning of a smile gracing her features. "You'll really stay?"

He nodded. "Of course!"

Tifa's grin spread to her entire face, illuminating her eyes. He watched with suprise and amazement as she used her arms to spring over the bar and kiss his cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her head into his shoulder. The smell of paint wasn't strong enough to cover up Tifa's scent, a smell Cloud always associated with the Nibelheim mountains...a mix of mountain flowers, fresh snow, and clean air...Cloud hoped Tifa couldn't hear how loud his heart was beating. He gently returned the embrace.

"Oh Cloud..." she said quietly, but happily. "I'm so glad!"

She pulled back, and Cloud let go reluctantly. Tifa's smile was still wide as ever. Cloud felt helpless to do anything but smile back. She grabbed his hand.

"Come on Cloud!" she said, pulling him up and heading out of the bar. "There's a room upstairs you can have! It's not finished yet- well none of the rooms are really, except the bar. But it's the biggest bedroom and you can use it as an office too- if you want to that is! And we can paint it whenever you want but I need help getting the top half of the walls..."

Cloud listened in amusement as Tifa continued chatting enthusiastically. He could understand her excitement. A bubble of hope was filling his chest. _A real home..._he thought, smiling as Tifa led him by the hand around what would soon become his room/office. He watched Tifa's beautiful face as she talked animately, turning around and smiling at him every few minutes to make sure he was still listening. _A real home with Tifa..._he thought. _Maybe it really is our turn to be happy..._


	2. By the Light of the Moon

Snow covered the streets of Midgar. It was a little before midnight, and the streetlights illuminutated pure white patches of snow. Cloud watched the swirling flakes fall from the sky. _Midgar actually looks pretty..._Cloud thought, mouth twisted sardonically. _I never thought I'd see the day..._He was carefully to keep from skidding on the snow covered streets as he headed towards his home of six months. It had only been a week since he had last been home. He felt a slight twinge of guilt at this. Cloud was supposed to have done another delivery to Gongaga, but he told his costumer that they'd have to wait another two weeks or find someone else. He was often surprised at how homesick he got.

He was always drawn back home. When he was away, he found himself longing for that feeling he got from Tifa throwing her arms around his neck when he opened the door. If he saw one of their friends in his travels, he ended up rushing home just so he see the look on her face when he gave her news about them. But other times, he found himself rushing home in worry._ Did Tifa remember to lock the doors after she closed the bar? _he would wonder. Or _Is Tifa lonely? Is she eating alright? I hope she doesn't do anything reckless..._

But he had an ally back at home to fill him in on things like that. After coming home, if it was before her bedtime, Cloud always tucked Marlene in the first night he got home. Tifa thought it was sweet, and approved of their little tradition with no protest. But little to her knowledge, Marlene and Cloud had a secret alliance going. Cloud would sneak Marlene candy and treats that would normally never be allowed so close to bedtime, and Marlene would fill Cloud in. She'd tell Cloud if Tifa had been sad at all while he was gone, and if she had been working too much and whether or not she slept well at night. Cloud found that Marlene was a surprisingly reliable source.

_Too bad it's too late for that tonight..._Cloud thought regretfully. _I'll just have to ask Tifa herself._ But Tifa was never quite as much a reliable source for that type of questioning. She questioned his welfare deeply whenever he returned, but she often evaded his questions with I'm fine's and Don't worry about me's. Cloud shook his head. _Stubborn to the last..._he thought amusedly.

Cloud's boots crunched on the fresh snow as he got off his motorcycle. The Seventh Heaven was closed according to the sign outside the door. He turned the knob and pushed on the door gently. It opened. _Leaving the doors unlocked after closing again..._he thought disapprovingly. _I'll have to talk to her about that..._Cloud removed his wet boots and hung his coat up outside the door.

Cloud walked in to the bar area, his sock clad feet padding gently on the floor. He was greeted with the sight of Tifa, wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a tank top, her hair loose and falling over her shoulders. Her fisted were raised in a battle stance. She lowered her hands immediately as she recognized Cloud. Her brown eyes were wide with relief.

"Cloud!" she said happily, rushing forward to hug him. "You scared me! Creeping in like that..."

_I've been looking forward to this all week..._Cloud realized sheepishly as he wrapped his arms around her back.

"You're freezing!" Tifa whispered into his shoulder.

Her warm body felt good against his frigid skin.

"It's snowing outside." Cloud told Tifa softly. "Reminds me of Nibelheim."

"Mmhmm..." Tifa murmurred.

Cloud could feel her heart pounding against him. _Didn't mean to scare her like that..._he thought guiltily. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled back so he could look down at her.

"Sorry I scared you." he apologized quietly.

Tifa looked a little embarassed. "It's okay Cloud...I just overreacted a bit, that's all."

He gave her a stern look.

"You should lock the doors at night Tifa." he told her seriously. "I worry about you being here alone..."

She shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm fine Cloud. I can take care of myself. You shouldn't worry...really." she said with a smile. "Now come on! I'll make you something hot to eat! You'll get sick if we don't warm you up..."

She began walking toward the bar but Cloud grabbed her hand and tugged her around.

"Promise me you'll lock the doors at night." he requested solemnly.

"Cloud..." she said gently. "You know you don't have to wor-"

"Please Tifa..." he interrupted. "I'll be able to sleep better when I'm away, knowing you're safe."

Tifa gave Cloud's hand a small squeeze.

"Okay Cloud...if it will make you feel better, I promise."

She smiled and pulled him to the bar.

* * *

Hours later, they were still sitting at the bar together, catching up. Cloud relished in Tifa's laughter as he told her about an silly disagreement he had with Dio, and in her concern as she gently brushed her fingers across the remnents of a cut he had received on the cheek in the fight that had occured afterwards. He listened diligently as she brought him up to date with all of Marlene's most recent antics. 

"I think she really enjoys having other children around every now and then." Tifa said as she took Cloud's empty plate away.

Cloud put his hands on his stomach, full of Tifa's delicious cooking.

"Have there been many orphans staying here recently?" he asked her somberly.

She nodded sadly.

"There have been so many children in the streets in the past few months." she said sorrowfully. "With the weather being cold like this, they need somewhere to stay."

"Are there any children staying here now?" Cloud asked her.

"Yes..." she replied. "I tell them they're welcome whenever they need somewhere to stay...but they don't like to stay for long. They always go in the morning and come back at night. They probably won't come back at all when the snow melts...except for meals every now and then."

Cloud nodded in agreement as a huge yawn split his face.

"You tired?" Tifa asked him.

"Yea..." Cloud said glancing at the clock. "Guess we better get to bed, huh?"

She agreed quietly and they left the bar area together. Tifa pressed a finger to her lips as they walked into the livingroom. There were two children asleep on either end of the sofa, covered in a thick blanket. They passed by the slumbering orphans and ascended the stairs. When they reached the top floor, Tifa peeked her head in on Marlene's room. The little girl was sleeping peacefully. Cloud watched her as she opened the door across the hall to the spare room. There were about seven children squeezed into the two king size beds inside.

"Your bed's made up." Tifa whispered, closing the door quietly.

"Thanks..." Cloud whispered back. "Goodnight Tifa."

Cloud could barely see her smile in the dark hallway.

"Goodnight Cloud..." she said softly. "See you in the morning..."

He turned to enter his room, but stopped as he saw her turn towards the staircase.

"Aren't you going to your bed?" he asked her, tilting his head curiously.

Tifa stopped and shuffled her feet a bit.

"Well actually..." she said, looking a little sheepish. "Three more children showed up and well..."

She motioned to her room.

"But it's okay!" she said quickly to the exasperation on Cloud's face. "I just make up a bed for myself in the bar area and I sleep fine."

Cloud shook his head and moved away from his door.

"You sleep in my room tonight Tifa." he said giving her a gentle push. "I'll be fine sleeping on the floor."

She put her hands on her hips and gave him an incredulous stare.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you sleep on the floor!" she asked him. "You just got back! You're exhausted!"

"Tifa, that floor's _hard_..." he said indignantly. "You don't honestly think I'm going to let you sleep there either."

She set her jaw and took a defiant step towards the staircase. Cloud stepped in front her and stood in between her and the top step. He gave her a triumphant smile.

"I'm not moving until you're asleep in that bed!" he said stubbornly.

Tifa gave him an equally stubborn look and tried to squeeze by, but he gave her a poke in the exposed flesh of her side. She suppressed a squeak and jumped back.

"Guess we'll be here all night." she said, crossing her arms.

Cloud shrugged. "Guess so."

Tifa opened her mouth to retort, but a huge yawn caused her to press a hand to her mouth. Cloud watched her, and found himself covering up a yawn of his own. Tifa giggled softly.

"This is ridiculous..." she said shaking her head.

Cloud nodded in agreement. They stood in silence for a minute, and a thought ocurred to Cloud, one that made his heart flutter nervously.

"Umm Tifa..." he said, scratching his head embarassedly. "There's enough room for both us in my room..."

He didn't have to see through the dark to know that Tifa was blushing.

"I guess it's the only way either of will be getting any sleep, huh?" Tifa said softly.

Cloud made of soft sound of agreement. He held the door open for Tifa as she entered his room. He flicked on a light. Tifa sat down on the bed, cheeks pink and looking nervous. Her blush deepened and she turned away as Cloud stripped off down to his boxers and pulled on a pair of pajama pants. She scooted to the far end of the bed as he sat down on the edge of it.

"Ready to go to bed?" he asked her quietly.

She nodded and Cloud turned the lamp off. Light came in through the window; the moon was reflecting off the new fallen snow. They both pulled the covers up over themselves, laying down side-by-side. _It would have been easier for me to fall asleep on the hard floor..._Cloud thought, heart hammering. He could feel the warmth of Tifa's body next to him, and strands of her dark hair tickled his arm. They had slept next to one another before, but this was different somehow...it felt so different when they were in a _bed_. Cloud felt his cheeks grow warm.

Cloud didn't move an inch until Tifa's breathing was deep and steady. Only then did he dare to turn towards her. He felt an unsupressable grin appear at the sight of her. She was sleeping soundly, her mouth open a bit, moonlight falling across her face. Tifa was on her side facing him. Cloud resisted the urge to brush his fingers across her peaceful face. He turned onto his side too, so that he was facing her. Her breath was warm on his face.

"Goodnight Tifa." he whispered.

He closed his eyes. _Maybe we should let the orphans use Tifa's room more often..._he thought with a twinge of guilt at the fact that he didn't mind having Tifa sleep in his bed next to him at all.


	3. The First Signs

The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon as Cloud got off his motorcycle in front of the Seventh Heaven. He had stayed home for nearly five weeks after that night he shared his room with Tifa, unable to force himself to leave, but he left on a job, and he had been gone away for three and a half weeks. _Nearly a month..._he thought resting his hand against the door. _It's been so long since I've been home..._His heart was hammering in chest out of happiness to be home, but also because he was nervous. _Will she be mad at me?_ he wondered.

He hadn't meant to stay away for so long. Cloud had rejected job after job for those five weeks he was home, unwilling to go away. But eventually, he ran out of money, and he wasn't about to let Tifa spend her wages on him. So he accepted a delivery job to Bone Village. He thought he could make the trip in two weeks at the most, but the strange spring time weather with its random storms had delayed him over and over again. Cloud cursed himself over and over again during those long three and a half weeks for not carrying a PHS with him.

Now, the spring weather was pleasantly mild. The streets of Midgar were slightly damp from recently melted snow, but the sun was shining down and warming Cloud's back as he placed a hand on the door knob. He turned it, but the door wouldn't budge. _Good..._he thought with relief, pulling out his keys. _At least she's keeping the doors locked at night. _

He turned his key in the lock and pushed the door open quietly. The sun's early light was streaming through the open windows, but the house was silent. Cloud wasn't really expecting anyone to be asleep; it was much too early on a Sunday morning. He walk carefully through the bar area into the livingroom. They were empty.

On the upper floor, Cloud peaked into Marlene's room. She was sound asleep, blanket thrown to the floor like always. Cloud smiled and shut the door. In the hallway Cloud debated with himself whether or not to wake Tifa up. _Maybe I should just catch some sleep and surprise everyone when they wake up..._He opened the door to his room. Two children were fast asleep in his bed. _Well that's out..._he thought scratching his head. _Maybe Tifa's already up..._He walked over to her door and knocked lightly and pressed his ear to the door. It didn't sound like she was awake yet.

Cloud cracked the door, looking in to see if Tifa was still in bed. Instead of Tifa's lithe form curled under the covers, there were three small children sleeping close to one another in her bed. Cloud shut the door quietly. _Where's Tifa then?_ he wondered. He walked down the hall to the spare room and quietly pushed open the door. Just like he expected, there were several children squeezed into the two large beds, and there, in an chair by the beds was-

"Tifa..." he whispered, walking towards her.

She was asleep with her legs curled under her, head slumped over on the hard wooden armrest of the chair. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Cloud reached out to touch her face. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked thinner than the last time he saw her. _I shouldn't have stayed away so long..._Cloud thought achingly, taking note of Tifa's obvious exhaustion.

"Hey, Tifa..." he whispered, placing a hand on her arm. "Wake up...I'm back."

Tifa slowly lifted her head, and rubbed her eyes sleepily with the back of her hand.

"Morning sleepyhead..." Cloud said softly.

Her eyelids opened slowly.

"Cloud?" she asked, voice fuzzy with sleep. "Cloud!"

She quickly brushed her hair out of her face and sat up in her chair. Her weary eyes now had a sparkle of happiness in them.

"Are you just gunna sit there?" Cloud teased gently. "Or are you gunna give me a proper hello?"

She slid off her chair and onto the floor next to where Cloud was kneeling, gripping the front of his shirt and pressing her head to his chest, eyes squeezed shut. _I can't believe I stayed away for nearly a month..._Cloud thought as he encircled her back with his arm. She really did seem smaller than he remembered...she was definately more tired than the last time he saw her.

"Oh Cloud..." she whispered, letting go of his shirt and slipping her arms around his neck. "I was so worried."

"Sorry Tifa...I didn't want to be away that long...I got delayed..." he said into her hair, trying to prolonge their embrace as long as possible.

Tifa breathed in deeply.

"It's alright Cloud," she said into his neck. "You're here now."

They both pulled back slightly. Cloud found himself longing already for the hug he'd get the next time he returned...but his mind was pulled to more pressing matters as he looked Tifa over carefully.

"You look exhausted Tifa..." he said quietly.

She closed her eyes briefly. "I am."

He touched her shoulder gently.

"Haven't you been sleeping well Tifa?" he asked anxiously. "Why were you sleeping in a chair? You look like you haven't been eating well either...Is something wrong Tifa?"

She interrupted his interrogation with a gentle hand on his forearm. Her eyes looked weary and sad again.

"The children are sick Cloud..." she said wearily. "So many of them...I don't know what to do..."

"Sick?" Cloud asked, not understanding. "Like the flu?"

Tifa shook her head painfully.

"No Cloud...here I'll show you." she said, standing up.

She stood up slowly and walked over to the bed. Cloud stood behind her, feeling slightly apprehensive. He watched her as she tenderly stroked back the hair of the little boy laying on the edge of the closest bed. Cloud would pin him at about five years old.

"It's okay..." she said to Cloud. "You can come a little closer."

Feeling serious deja vu at her words, Cloud stepped closer, looking at the slumbering child over her shoulder, the ends of Tifa's hair tickling him as he did so. Carefully, without waking the little boy, Tifa pulled the covers off his small body. Cloud gasped outloud at what he saw.

"What is it Tifa?" he said in a hushed voice.

The child's arms and chest were covered in blackish blue markings...and they weren't bruises. Tifa gently replaced the covers over the boy and turned towards Cloud with a sad sigh.

"I had the doctor come in a week ago..." she said wraping her arms around herself.

"And?" Cloud prompted gently.

"He said there was nothing to be done..." Tifa whispered, voice catching slightly. "He called it Geostigma...he said there were numerous cases of it in the other sectors...most of the victims are children."

Cloud shook his head, confused. "But what is it?"

Tifa looked helplessly at the small children in the beds.

"No one knows for sure..." she said slowly. "The children that have it, have those markings on their bodies...they fall unconscious...Sometimes they're in a lot of pain."

A sudden, horrifying thought occured to Cloud.

"Is Marlene-" he asked hastily.

Tifa shook her head quickly.

"No..." she said. "Marlene's fine."

Cloud nodded, relieved.

"So..." he began quietly. "That's why you look so worn-out...you've been taking care of the children."

Tifa ducked her head abashedly but then looked up at Cloud, her face looking distressed.

"Do I really look that bad?" she asked, cringing slightly.

"Oh Tifa...I didn't mean it like that." he laughed, unable to resist pulling her in for another hug. "You always look beautiful."

His cheeks felt hot as he heard himself say that. _I can't believe I just told Tifa that..._he thought as Tifa hide her face in his shoulder, undoubtably hiding her own red cheeks.

"I'll kick Marlene out of her bed, and you can catch up on sleep okay?" he told Tifa, cheeks still hot.

Tifa pulled back slightly.

"But the children-" she began.

"I'll check up on them every now and then." he told her firmly. "You're going to collapse if you don't get some sleep."

Tifa gave the children one last worried look-over before allowing Cloud to lead her out of the room with an arm around her waist.

* * *

Cloud sighed as he left Marlene's room. It had barely taken Tifa thirty seconds to fall into a deep sleep. _She's more tired than I thought..._Cloud thought shaking his head. _She's gunna work herself into an early grave..._He shuddered at this thought and allowed himself one more glance at the gentle rise and fall of Tifa's back before quietly closing the door. Marlene was squirming excitedly in the stairway. 

"Come on Cloud!" she said, turning around every other step to make sure he was following.

Cloud smiled at her pajama clad form as she dragged him down the stairs. He remembered Marlene back in the old Seventh Heaven; he thought that she was a meek, shy, and quiet child... Talk about misleading first impressions.

Down in the bar area, Cloud and Marlene sat at one of the tables, eating chocolate pie for breakfast. The pie pan sat between them and they went at it with forks, not bothering with plates. The pie had been discovered on the top shelf of the refrigerator, so high up that even Tifa would need a chair to reach it. But Cloud grabbed it easily, and the two of them ate with relish. _Tifa would have a cow if she could see us..._Cloud thought a bit guiltily. _But I don't know how to cook...and Marlene and I are hungry...and Tifa needs her sleep so..._he automatically added this in his defense.

"So Cloud..." Marlene said, licking whipped cream off her fork. "What do ya wanna know?"

Cloud scratched his chin contemplatively.

"She sleeping okay?" he asked, shoveling more pie into his mouth.

Marlene leaned in conspirationally.

"She hasn't slept in her bed in _two weeks_!" she said, put emphasis on the long amount of time.

Cloud sighed and shook his head.

"Has she been eating?" he asked her. "Please tell me she's at least eating..."

Marlene shrugged her little shoulders.

"I dunno..." she said, thinking hard. "Tifa's _always _busy...she's either working at the bar or taking care of the other kids...she still plays with _me_ though! Yesterday she showed me how to draw a tree and then-"

Cloud's half-listened to Marlene's chattering with amusement, but his mind was buzzing with concern for his childhood friend. _How can I take off some of her burden? _he wondered. _Hmm...have to think on that one._ Marlene's happy chatter stopped and she looked at him expectantly, waiting for the next question. Cloud looked behind him, making sure that Tifa hadn't woken up and entered the bar. He leaned in over their pie.

"How many?" he asked lowly.

Marlene searched her five year-old mind for a minute.

"Three." she said with conviction.

Cloud choked slightly on his bite of pie.

"And she turned them all down?" he said, taking a drink of water to wash it down. "Right?"

"Of course, silly." Marlene said, rolling her eyes. "She _always_ does."

He sighed in relief.

"You shouldn't worry so much about _that _Cloud." she stated, nodded wisely. "They're all _way_ uglier than you."

_Extra pie for you Marlene..._Cloud thought, feeling slightly depressed that his new best friend was a five year-old girl.

"Did they give her any trouble?" Cloud asked, trying to adopt a casual tone but failing to keep the protective growl out of his voice.

Marlene tilted her head slightly, her face covered in chocolate.

"One of them _wouldn't _go away..." she told him, with a dark look. "So I ran into the bar and pretended to have had a bad dream. I'm the best actor _ever_...I even cried a little."

"What did you say?" he asked approvingly.

"I told Tifa that I had a bad dream and that I wanted Cloud to come home so scary men wouldn't ask Tifa out on dates." she voiced with pride.

Cloud pushed the remaining pie in her direction.. He leaned in eagerly.

"Did you do the face?" he inquired.

Marlene nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's see it then!" Cloud requested, cracking a malicious grin.

Marlene barred her teeth like a wild animal, crossing her eyes and gave a deep growl that was surprisingly frightening coming from such a small, sweet faced girl. She looked completely rabid. Cloud laughed and patted her on the head.

"That's my girl!" he said, smiling indulgently.

She dropped the scary face and smiled sweetly.

"More pie, please Cloud?"


	4. A New Friendship

Rain drops dripped down Cloud's face as he knocked loudly on the wooden door in front of him. It took a minute or two, but finally, a gray-haired woman opened the door. She stared at him a moment before smiling and motioning him in. Cloud stepped in, shifting from foot to foot and dripping uncomfortably onto her gray welcome mat.

"Cloud dear!" the woman said kindly. "You're soaked to the bones! How have you been?"

Cloud smiled akwardly and scratched the back of his head.

"I've been alright..." he told her.

"Been away on a job?" she asked, handing him a towel.

He nodded, gratefully wiping his face dry.

"How are the girls? Marlene?" she smiled slyly. "And Tifa?"

Cloud continued wiping off his face; she loved to tease him, and he knew it would just encourage her if she saw him blush.

"They're good..." he mumbled.

The old woman held back a laugh. _Such a sweet boy..._she thought with a smile.

"So what brings you here, Cloud?" she inquired.

Cloud dug in his pocket for a minute and produced a large, crumpled wad of gil.

"Is this enough to cover the costs?" he asked holding out the money.

She took the gil from his hand and slowly counted out the bills. She looked up at him, shocked.

"Cloud!" she exclaimed, holding out the money towards him. "This is much too much money!"

Cloud shook his head and pushed the gil back towards her.

"No," he said quietly. "I want you to have it...I thought maybe you could hire more help. Taking care of sick children isn't easy..."

The old woman patted Cloud's hand gratefully.

"You're a good boy Cloud..." she said softly, going teary eyed. "Thank you."

Cloud mumbled a "your welcome", looking embarassed from her gratitude. She hastily wiped her eyes and tucked the money in her apron pocket. They exchanged goodbyes, and the old woman watched Cloud climb on his motorcycle from the window, clucking her tongue disaprovingly. _That boy's going to kill himself on that contraption..._she thought worriedly.

She had met Cloud nearly a month ago. The old woman ran the orphanage, and just as Geostigma was making an appearance, money was beginning to run out. She had barely been able to take care of ten children at once. But then Cloud showed up on her doorstep, looking a bit sheepish, scratching his head in that embarassed way he did.

At first she was reluctant to take the money.

"What's the catch?" she had asked him suspiciously. "What do you get out of this?"

He had shrugged and mumbled something about just wanting to help out, but she had fixed him with her sternest look and finally he spilled. Her glare slowly softened as Cloud told her about his friend Tifa, who he had known since he was a child, and how she was working herself to death trying to take care of the Geostigma-stricken orphans in Midgar. She accepted the money gratefully, and swiftly, her orphanage grew. The orphanage now had enough room and help to take care of nearly all the sick children that came to them.

The old woman sighed and let the curtain drop as Cloud drove off on his motorcycle.

* * *

Cloud adjusted his goggles on his face as the rain came down in a torrent. Another month had passed quickly. He had taken several jobs in the past month; most of them taking no longer than three days. The first few weeks he had kept a careful eye on Tifa, but as the number of orphans in the house decreased, so did Tifa's exhaustion. The money he gave the orphanage was a small price to pay for her happiness.

He stopped his motorcycle for a minute, turning to look over his shoulder. _Did I just see what I thought I did?_ he wondered, carefully turning his motorcycle around. He slowly drove ten feet or so in the opposite direction. _I could have sworn it was around here..._he thought scanning the street. His eyes locked on a gutter.

"Shit!" he cursed loudly as he took a careful look at it.

At first glance, it seemed that there was a pile of rags ontop the gutter, but as Cloud drew nearer, the shape of a child began to take form. Cloud lifted the boy out of the gushing water around the gutter and shook him gently. The little boy's head flopped from side to side.

"Hey kid!" Cloud said loudly, feeling a twinge of fear. "Kid, wake up!"

But underneath the boy's light brown hair, Cloud glimpsed the bluish black marks of Geostigma. Quickly, Cloud lifted the small child onto his motorcycle in front of him. _Okay..._Cloud thought, as the boy slumped over lifelessly. _Which is closer...the Seventh Heaven or the orphanage? _He tried to think, one hand on the handlebar, the other holding the boy upright, but he started feeling panicky. _Shit..._he thought, starting up his engine. _Shit! He's not dead is he?_

"I'm taking you somewhere safe kid." he said to the motionless child. "Don't worry kid, Tifa will know what to do."

* * *

Marlene was skipping down the stairs when Cloud burst through the door at the Seventh Heaven. She ran forward happily at first but stopped cold when she saw the unmoving child in his arms. Water poured off both of them and pooled onto the floor.

"Marlene." Cloud said with forced calm. "Get Tifa. Quick."

She ran off into the bar area. It took Tifa barely ten seconds to come running, Marlene at her heels.

"Cloud!" she said anxiously. "What's wron-"

Tifa gasped when she saw the little boy.

"Towels Marlene." she said urgently. "Hurry up."

Marlene ran off again. Tifa moved forward to peer at the child. She carefully lifted his bangs, and a pucker appeared between her eyes when she saw the marks.

"Found him in the gutter..." Cloud said croakily. "Is he-?"

Tifa put a gentle hand on Cloud's arm.

"He'll be alright...I think." she soothed softly. "He probably fell unconsious in the street and got sweeped into the gutter by all this rain...Poor thing."

Marlene came skidding into the hall with a bundle of towels in her arms. Tifa took them and thanked Marlene gently. The little girl clung to Tifa frightenedly.

"It's okay Marlene." Tifa told her, stroking back her hair.

"Is he dead?" Marlene whispered fearfully.

Tifa gave her a little hug.

"No Marlene." she said comfortingly. "Go up to your room okay? Me and Cloud are going to take care of him."

She scampered off again.

"What do we do Tifa?" Cloud asked, shifting anxiously.

He half-wished Tifa would give him a hug and let him go off to his room. He never was good at the whole "nursing back to health" thing.

"Wrap him in this." she said handing him a towel. "Let's go upstairs and put him in something dry...he doesn't need a cold on top of Geostigma."

Cloud did as Tifa asked and followed her up into the spare-bedroom.

* * *

Later that night, the little boy was dressed in an over-sized but dry, t-shirt of Cloud's and sleeping peacefully under a pile of warm blankets. His forehead had been carefully bandaged by Tifa. Lightening illuminated the room and a little girl was visible in the doorway for a few seconds before the room plunged into darkness again. Checking the hallway to make sure Tifa and Cloud were still downstairs, Marlene crept into the room to get a closer look at the boy.

Another flash of lightening shot across the sky, and Marlene gasped as the boy's eyes fluttered opened. She began to back out of the room, but he had already seen her.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily.

Marlene took a step forward.

"You're at my house." she told him slowly.

He sat up and looked around. Marlene flicked a light on.

"How did I get here?" the boy asked, confusion on his freckled face.

Marlene sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed.

"Cloud brought you here." she said matter-of-factly. "I thought you were _dead_!"

"Cloud?" he asked blankly.

She nodded.

"Who's that?" he questioned, sitting up in bed.

"He's-" Marlene began but stopped, lacking words to describe Cloud.

The boy narrowed his eyes, waiting for her answer.

"Come on!" Marlene said, bouncing off the bed. "I'll show you...but you better be quiet!"

She headed towards the door, turning around to look at him.

"By the way," she said motioning for him to follow. "My name's Marlene."

The boy scrambled out of bed, t-shirt falling past his knees.

"I'm Denzel." he told her shyly.

"Come on then Denzel." she said, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Marlene crept down the hall, a flutter of excitement in her stomach. She never brought another child with her to spy on Cloud and Tifa before.

"Where are we going?" Denzel asked, tip-toeing behind her.

"Shh!" Marlene whispered. "Just down here...you better not get us caught!"

They slid down the steps and peered around the wall.

"See?" Marlene said quietly, pointing to Cloud's spiky, blond head. "That's Cloud. He lives here...most of the time."

"Oh." Denzel whispered.

"Oh?" Marlene repeated, giving him an annoyed look. "Is that all you can say? For your information, Cloud is _way_ cooler than any stupid-head person you know."

He shrugged.

"What's so good about him?" he asked, his voice curious, not skeptical in the least.

Marlene thought for a minute.

"Umm..." she said, tapping her chin. "He can reach the chocolate pie on the top shelf of the 'fridgerator. And he let's me eat it for _breakfast._"

Denzel was starting to look convinced.

"And..and..." Marlene said, wanting her new friend to be impressed, "He drives a motorcycle! _And _he has a sword."

"A sword?" Denzel asked wide-eyed.

Marlene nodded, smiling and looking satisfied with the amount of awe in Denzel's voice. He watched Cloud sitting on the couch for another minute before turning to Marlene.

"Is he your dad?" he asked, sounding slightly jealous.

She shook her head.

"No..." she said. "My papa is in Corel right now."

Denzel nodded and looked back out into the livingroom.

"Who's that?" he asked pointing to Tifa.

"That's Tifa." Marlene whispered. "Tifa lives here all the time. She takes care of me!"

They watched Tifa and Cloud talk for another minute.

"Isn't she pretty?" Marlene asked Denzel proudly.

Denzel shrugged. "I guess so."

Marlene put her hands on her hips, looking seriously affronted.

"You guess so!" she seethed. "Tifa is the prettiest lady in the _world_!"

Marlene growled in frusteration when he shrugged again. She searched her mind frantically for something impressive to say.

"Tifa can beat _anyone _up!" she said haughtily. "She has the biggest, scariest fighting gloves _ever_!"

A flash of interest appeared in Denzels eyes, but as soon as a triumphant smile curled the corners of Marlene's mouth, he wrinkled his freckled nose.

"I don't believe you." he said disdainfully. "You're making all this up!"

"Am not!" Marlene hissed.

She stuck his tongue out. He responded like-wise.

"Fine!" she said angrily. "I'll show you...they're starting to get all mushy anyways..."

She motion towards Tifa, whose head was on Cloud's shoulder and to Cloud's arm around her back and they simultaniously wrinkled their noses. Turning away, Marlene grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up the stairs behind her. Creeping along cat-like, she led him to the door at the far end of the hall.

"This is Tifa's room." she whispered, pushing the door open.

Once inside, she flicked on a light.

"We're really not supposed to be in here." Marlene said in a guilt-free voice. "But don't worry, they'll be down there for a looong time."

Denzel watched her as she climbed up onto the wooden dresser. She searched through a prettily decorated jewelery box on the top shelf and produced a key with a flourish. With practiced expertise, she jumped down to the carpet and stuck her upper half underneath Tifa's bed.

"Help me." she said to Denzel, as she pulled out a large wooden chest.

He grabbed the other end, and together, they pulled the chest out from under the bed. Smiling widely, Marlene stuck the key in the hole, and with a click, the chest opened. Denzel's mouth dropped open.

"Told you so!" she said, laughing at the amazement on Denzel's face.

The chest was filled to the brim with gloves, some of them plain leather, others with metal knuckles, others with spikes jutting out. Looking convinced, Denzel turned towards Marlene.

"Can I see the sword?" he asked, eyes huge.

With practiced ease, Marlene covered up all evidence of their intrusion and they left the room together. Denzel followed Marlene into Cloud's room, looking around eagerly.

"Over here!" Marlene whispered.

She ducked under Cloud's desk and pulled off the key that was taped to the underside of it. She unlocked the closet door and Denzel hovered around excitedly. A huge, triumphant smile cracked her face when she saw how awe-struck Denzel was. The closet walls were lined with Cloud's swords. Finally satisfied that Denzel was properly impressed with Cloud and Tifa, Marlene covered her tracks and ushered him out of the room.

"Believe me now?" she asked, grinning.

He nodded vigorously. They stood in the dark hallway in silence for a minute.

"Hey Denzel?" Marlene asked, tugging his arm.

"What?" Denzel asked.

"Let's be friends, okay?" she requested.

Denzel shrugged. "Okay."

They were silent for another minute.

"So uhh..." Denzel said shyly. "What do we do now?"

Marlene considered his question carefully.

"Let's steal candy from the bar!" she said excitedly.

They smiled at each other and headed off.


	5. Before Everything Went Wrong

Cloud paused for a minute in the business district of Midgar to enjoy the May sunshine on his face. _The rainy season's finally over..._Cloud thought, glad that he no longer had to get soaked everytime he stepped outside. _The kids will be glad they can play outside now..._he thought with a smile. Though a month and a half had passed since that day Cloud had found Denzel passed out in a gutter, Denzel still remained at the Seventh Heaven. Marlene and him were already thick as theives by the time Cloud and Tifa woke up the next morning. Cloud didn't know how the two children became such good friends, but what he did know was that there was a surprising increase in the amount of missing sweets ever since their friendship began.

Cloud cringed a bit guiltily as he thought about this. _Poor Tifa..._he thought shaking his head. _She has no idea where all her food is going._ It just so happened that a sweet tooth was something he, Denzel, and Marlene all had in common. And he often found himself succumbing to their puppy dog eyes and grabbing sweets for them in all the hard-to-reach places. _Besides, _he thought, examining a store to his right. _Somehow, they know exactly where Tifa hides all the sweets..._. He laughed to himself quietly. Denzel fit in perfectly to his and Marlene's strange friendship. And Cloud had a soft spot for the kid, because he reminded him so much of himself when he was young. _I wonder if he reminds Tifa of me when I was young too?_ he wondered, peaking into another store. It had taken Denzel barely three days to become attatched to Tifa. _I doubt anyone ever took care of the poor kid the way Tifa does before_... he thought eye-balling the items on sale. _The kid can't help but love her..._

_Where in the world do you buy glasses?_ he thought with frusteration as he left the store. In the past two hours, he had found countless stores that sold individual ones, but none of sold whole sets of glasses. _I need at least thirty..._he thought, passing by several more businesses. Somehow, Marlene and Denzel had managed to completely shatter all of Tifa's brand new glasses. He winced, remembering the state of his hands after he helped Tifa clean it up. But then he laughed to himself, remembering what Denzel had said after the castastrophy.

_"Are you gunna beat us up with your metal knuckes Tifa?" _he had asked fearfully. "_Or with the spiky ones?"_

Tifa had stared at him, agape for a minute before turning towards Marlene.

"_What did you tell him?"_ she scolded.

Marlene had smiled nervously and wrapped her arms around Tifa waist, looking up at her adoringly.

"_I told him you were the prettiest lady in the world!" _she said, fluttering her eyelashes.

Cloud chuckled to himself. Marlene could charm herself out of any sticky situation. He was afraid sometimes, that she was a bad influence on Denzel. Sometimes Tifa said that Marlene was a bad influence on Cloud. _It's probably true..._he thought, shaking his head.

_Glasses!_ he thought with relief as he stepped into the next store. He looked around at the numerous designs with a sinking heart. _Now...what kind does Tifa want?

* * *

_

The sign on the door of the Seventh Heaven said "_Closed until further notice." _Cloud chuckled and unlocked the door, using his knee to push it open since his hands were full with the box of glasses. The bar area was complety empty. Cloud shut the door behind him and placed the heavy box on top of the bar. He began to head behind the bar and into the living room, but sounds coming from the room to the left of the bar area stopped him. He could hear Marlene and Denzel's giggles and Tifa trying to be firm but laughing anyways. He swung open the kitchen door.

Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel were huddled around the kitchen counter, working intently on a bowl of batter. They were all covered in flour from head to toe. Tifa had pulled her thick, dark hair back in an attempt to keep it clean, but there were still white streaks in it. She had her hand wrapped around Marlene's little wrist which was hovering over the bowl.

"No more sugar!" Tifa said, trying to direct Marlene's handful of sugar back towards the sugar jar.

The second Tifa turned her back to put the sugar back into the jar, Denzel dropped in a handful of sugar. He and Marlene exchanged sly smiles behind Tifa's back.

"Okay," Tifa said lifting Marlene up to the counter. "You can stir."

Denzel tugged on her arm, leaving white flour splotches on them.

"What about me?" he asked.

Tifa smiled and wiped flour off his nose.

"You can stir too..." she said, helping him up onto the counter.

They stirred vigorously, banging spoons and splattering batter everywhere.

"When can we eat the cake?" Marlene said, licking her spoon.

"We'll wait for Cloud to get home...Don't put that spoon back in the batter!" she exclaimed, stopping the spoon Marlene licked from re-entering the batter.

Denzel wrinkled his nose at the spoon.

"Eew...Marlene germs!" he taunted.

She stuck her tongue out and flicked some batter at Denzel. He flicked some back at her.

"Stop flicking the batter everywhere!" Tifa said exasperated. "We won't have any left to make the cake."

"I don't think we have enough cake for Cloud too, Tifa!" Marlene said, eyeballing the batter.

Denzel gave her his best shy smile.

"Since you don't like cake Tifa..." he said, still stirring. "Me and Marlene should probably just eat it."

"Traitors..." Cloud mumbled under his breath.

The three of them jumped, knocking what little was left of the batter, onto the floor.

"Cloud!" Tifa said happily, rushing forward to give him a hug that left him covered in flour.

"Cloud! Cloud!" Marlene and Denzel shouted, ignoring the puddle of batter on the floor that was supposed to become their beloved cake.

They pounced on him. Cloud was now as flour-covered and batter-covered as all of them. He laughed, ruffling Denzel's hair and letting Marlene climb up on his shoulders. Marlene tugged one his spikes happily.

"Look Cloud!" she said, pointing to the messy kitchen. "We were making a cake for you!"

Cloud snorted.

"Liar!" he said, grabbing her and flipping her upside down.

"Denzel! Tifa!" Marlene shouted, laughing so hard her face was bright red. "Help!"

Denzel ran and tackled Cloud's legs, causing him to lose balance on the slippery, batter-covered floor. Tifa quickly uprighted Marlene before Cloud fell onto the floor. Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel laughed as he landed in the puddle of batter.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, stopping mid-giggle when he remained spread-eagled on the floor.

She came a little closer...only to receive a faceful of cake-batter. Marlene and Denzel laughed harder, clapping their hands with glee.

"Cloud Strife!" Tifa sputtered, a glob of sugary batter dropping off her nose.

She turned her back to him, crossing her arms. Cloud bit his lip worriedly.

"Uh oh..." Denzel whispered to Marlene.

Marlene grinned happily in anticipation.

"She's gunna _beat his butt_!" Marlene whispered gleefully.

Denzel scoffed.

"Cloud could beat Tifa _any _day!" he told Marlene confidently.

Cloud placed a floury hand on Tifa's shoulder.

"Sorry Tifa..." he said warily.

She turned around, and by the time he saw the huge grin on his face, it was too late, she grabbed his arm and flipped him into a pile of flour.

"Toldja so!" Marlene said triuphantly to Denzel.

But then Cloud, grinning wickedly, grabbed Tifa around the waist and lifted her over his shoulder, before dumping her into a messy pile of egg, sugar, and flour.

Denzel gave Marlene a triumphant grin. "Who's right _now?_"

"Tifa's still gunna win!" she said, with a scowl.

"No way!" Denzel shot back.

They stared at each other for a second, before turning their gaze back towards Cloud and Tifa who were still fighting playfully. They shrugged their shoulders.

"Who cares." Denzel said, turning back towards Marlene.

"Yea..." Marlene said, grabbing Denzel's hand. "Come on! There's a whole bag of sugar behind the counter!"

Cloud and Tifa were oblivious to their departure, still intent on their battle. Sprawled on her back in the mess, Tifa swung her leg around, catching Cloud behind the ankle and causing him to land beside her with a messy plop. Tifa laughed and squished some of the gunk into his spikey hair. Cloud gave her a look of mock anger.

"You're gunna pay for that one!" he said, grinning deviously.

Tifa clutched her stomach, bent over double with laughter and tried to scramble away from him, but he grabbed her around the waist again and flipped her upside down, much like he had with Marlene minutes ago.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted, still laughing, "You better put me down _now_!"

"I don't think so!" Cloud chuckled, swinging her gently so her hair dipped into the sticky batter.

"Eyaghh!" Tifa screeched, covering her eyes. "Don't drop me!"

"Drop you?" Cloud asked playfully. "Okay!"

"Cloud, no!" Tifa wailed.

He chuckled and turned her upright. She clung to his shoulders for a minute, breathing heavily, before tackling him to the ground. Cloud groaned as batter splattered all over his face.

"That'll teach you to drop me!" Tifa said, her body slung across his stomach, pining him to the ground.

Cloud just laughed and tried to wipe his face clean, sitting up as he did so, causing Tifa to slide into his lap. The laughter died in his throat as he felt two soft hands on his face, gently cleaning the sticky mixture off his eyes. He opened his eyes. Tifa wasn't laughing anymore either. Her cheeks were still flushed from being upside-down and she still had one hand on his cheek, no longer cleaning the batter off, but holding it there with a feather-light touch. Cloud let the hand that wasn't wrapped around Tifa's waist, to push her flour-covered hair off her face. _Never been this close to her before..._he thought, her hot breath on his cheek causing shivers to run up and down his spine. Both of their eyes closed slowly, and Cloud was now close enough to feel Tifa's eyelashes tickle his cheek. They paused for a moment, enjoying it too much to pull back, their hearts pounding too hard to move forward.

The sound of about fifty brand new glasses shattering caused them to break apart.

If Cloud had known what the future held, he would have pulled Tifa to him and kissed her anyways. But instead, he helped Tifa to her feet and followed her into the bar to survey the damage.


	6. Painful Discovery

Cloud steered his motorcycle through Midgar's heavy traffic, thankful that he wasn't waiting in the hot summer sun; it was around nine o'clock in the evening. He had only been able to be home for two short days after his last return. Luckily, the job in Junon took only three, and finally he was on his way home again. His mind wandered as the sun casted an orangey glow...he found his mind wandering a lot lately. _It's driving me crazy..._he thought, willing the traffic to go faster. _I always thought about Tifa a lot but now...I can barely go two seconds without remembering..._He closed his eyes briefly, reliving those few moments in his mind, when Tifa's eyelashes brushed his cheek and he knew if he leaned forward two centimeters...his lips would brush hers.

He jumped as traffic began moving again. _Maybe I should just tell her..._he thought as he headed home. _Tell her that I can't stop thinking about what almost happened and how much I wish it actually did happen..._He shook his head. Cloud couldn't even believe he was admiting these things to himself. _Barely a year ago...I was too afraid to even touch her...and now it's all I think about..._

Seventh Heaven appeared around the corner, and Cloud had to remind himself to stop his motorcycle before jumping off it. He swung open the door, took long strides through the bar area and into the livingroom. He was greeted with the sight of Tifa and Marlene curled up on the couch together, apparently reading some book. Cloud felt suddenly shy when he saw Tifa, her long, thick hair hanging down her back. He longed to reach out and touch it like he did when there were white streaks of flour in it, but he suddenly felt frozen. He cleared his throat and said the only thing he could think to say.

"Hello." he mumbled.

Both Tifa and Marlene looked up from the book.

"Cloud!" Marlene said happily, jumping off Tifa's lap.

He hugged Marlene gently but his eyes were locked with Tifa's. She seemed to be experiencing the same shyness as him.

"Welcome home, Cloud." Tifa said softly, standing on her tip-toes to gently brush her lips across his cheek. "Come sit with us."

They all sank into the couch, Tifa and Cloud on either end, Marlene in the middle. Cloud looked around the livingroom for a minute, feeling slightly puzzled.

"Where's Denzel?" he asked.

A pained expression came across both Tifa and Marlene's faces. Marlene climbed back into Tifa's lap, burrying her face into Tifa's shoulder. Tifa stroked her hair gently.

"He had an...episode...a couple nights ago." she said quietly. "He's feeling better now, but he's still resting."

Cloud felt a stab of pain in his chest.

"How bad?" he asked quietly.

Tifa shook her head grimly.

"It was pretty bad..." she whispered.

Marlene sniffled. Tifa rubbed her back comfortingly.

"He's still asleep but why don't you go up and see him?" she suggested to Cloud softly. "I'm going to go tuck Marlene in..."

Cloud nodded numbly and followed the girls up the stairs. He watched them enter Marlene's room before pushing open the doors to the room Denzel slept in. The little boy looked unusually tiny under the blankets and bandages. Cloud hesitantly sat down on the bed next to him. He didn't stir. Cloud sighed as he gently touched the blackened bandages.

"Cloud?" the little boy asked groggily.

"Hey Denzel." Cloud said quietly. "How do you feel?"

"Ugh...alright..." Denzel mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut.

Cloud was quiet for a moment. _What am I supposed to say?_ he wondered. _I have no idea what he's going through..._

"I'm home, okay?" he told Denzel, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here now..."

The little boy nodded and dozed off again. Cloud watched him sleep for a long time after, not knowing that soon he would be able to relate to Denzel much more than he already could.

* * *

It was nearly two hours later when Cloud crept out of Denzel's room. _I wonder if Tifa's still awake? _he thought, walking down to her room. 

"Tifa?" he whispered, knocking softly.

There was no answer. Slowly, Cloud opened the door a crack.

"Tifa?" he asked again, this time a bit louder.

Her room was empty. _Guess she's awake then..._Cloud thought, heading downstairs. Worry creased his forehead when he found the downstairs empty too. _Maybe she's in Marlene's room?_ he thought doubtfully. He walked back up the steps and quietly opened Marlene's door. Just as he suspected, Marlene was the only one inside. Cloud felt his mouth grow dry. _Where would Tifa go? _he thought anxiously, slipping on a pair of shoes. He grabbed his keys and stepped out the front door.

Cloud felt himself relax when he saw Tifa sitting on the front steps, knees curled up to her chest. She turned around when the door clicked shut and looked back at Cloud, eyes stopping at the keys in his hand.

"Going somewhere?" she asked him, perplexed.

He shook his head.

"I was looking for you." he told her, pocketing his keys.

"Oh..." Tifa said softly, placing her chin back on top of her knees. "I like to sit out here sometimes...I should have told you first."

"It's alright." Cloud assured her.

He leaned against the door of the house, looking at her from behind.

"How's Denzel?" she asked, breifly looking back to meet his eyes.

"Sleeping." Cloud answered quietly. "He woke up for a minute though.

She nodded, and they fell back into silence. The streets of Midgar were silent and empty, softly illuminated by streetlights. It was a pleasant summer night; Cloud and Tifa both closed their eyes as a warm breeze brushed through the street, gently ruffling thier hair.

"It's a nice night..." Cloud said, voice hushed.

"Mmhmm." Tifa murmured, still enjoying the gentle breeze.

Cloud stood up straight, pulling away from the door.

"Do you wanna go on a walk?" he asked Tifa, shuffling his feet slightly.

Tifa lifted her head up. Her brown eyes relefected the light of the streetlamp. Cloud gave her a hopeful half-smile. Relief swarmed him when a warm smile lit up Tifa's face. She stood, brushing off herself as she did so. Cloud locked the door and they stepped off the porch, arms brushing as they did so. Cloud felt his heart give a little jump as Tifa slipped her slender fingers into his left hand.

They walked leisurely down the street in a comfortable silence. Aside from the occasional car, the streets were deserted. Tifa tilted her head back slightly, looking up at the dark sky, hair catching the breeze.

"You can't see the stars here..." she said quietly.

Cloud stopped for a minute to look up at the dark sky.

"Too many lights..." he agreed. "But at least you can see the sky in Midgar now."

They lowered their eyes and continued walking. Their footsteps echoed softly against the homes and buildings lining the streets.

"Why did you come back to Midgar?" Cloud asked Tifa, looking down at her.

A thoughtful look came over her face as she considered his question.

"I suppose it's because...Nibelheim could never be my home anymore." she said slowly. "Not after what happened."

Cloud silently agreed; being in Nibelheim brought back more painful memories than happy ones. Even the memory of the night at the well didn't bring Cloud comfort when he was in Nibelheim. After all, the original well had burnt down over six years ago.

"So...I guess Midgar is more of a home to me than anywhere else." she finished softly.

Tifa looked up, turning her eyes to him.

"What about you Cloud?" she asked. "Why Midgar?"

Cloud met her gaze somewhat nervous.

"Because..." he began quietly.

_Because it's where you are Tifa..._he finished in his mind.

"Because?" Tifa prompted gently.

He broke eye contact with a sigh.

"Same reason as you, I guess." he mumbled.

He hated himself for that answer. _Just tell her,_ he urged himself. _Tifa knows you better than anyone else in the world...the least you can do it tell her the truth about how you feel._ Just as Cloud was building up the courage- trying to calm his racing heart- he noticed something odd.

He couldn't feel Tifa's hand in his anymore.

Cloud looked down, and was surprised to see Tifa's fingers still entwined with his. _What's going on? _he wondered, moving his fingers slightly, trying to regain feeling again. He gently prodded his arm with his right hand. He felt nothing. Cloud could feel a new anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach. He looked over to Tifa. She was looking at her feet.

_It's probably nothing..._he thought, looking ahead again. _Not worth worrying Tifa over anyways..._

The thought had barely crossed his mind when his entire left arm exploded in pain. He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. _What's wrong with me?_ he wondered, white spots bursting in front of his eyes. The pain shot up and down his arm, from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. Cloud let his breath out in a hiss.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, voice alarmed. "What's wrong?"

He tried to tell her it was nothing, but he kept his jaw clenched, afraid he would shout out if he unclenched it.

"Cloud!" Tifa said, louder.

Cloud's head turned towards her quickly, surprised to hear pain in her voice.

"Tifa what-" he asked, panting slightly.

He looked down at his hand, jumping when he realized that he was crushing Tifa's hand with his. Feeling dizzy from the pain, he quickly let go. Tifa cradled her hand to her chest. A new pain in his heart added to the relentless pain in his arm.

"Tifa?" he asked, breathing heavily, and touching her wrist lightly with his right hand. "Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head quickly, looking up at Cloud with fear and worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong Cloud?" she asked anxiously. "Are you feeling okay?"

Tifa gently touched his cheek. Cloud leaned into her touch, wanting her comfort more than anything, but not wanting to worry her over something that could very well be nothing at all. He forced himself to shake his head.

"I'm fine Tifa." he managed through the pain. "But let's go back...okay?"

The walk back to the Seventh Heaven was a blur in his memory. Through the pain, he could barely remember exchanging goodnights with Tifa and running up to his room. When his door was shut and locked, Cloud slid to the floor, gripping his arm.

"Urgh..." he grunted, squeezing his eyes shut. "What's wrong with me?"

Another burst of pain caused him to fall sideways onto the ground. He bit down hard, stopping himself from yelling out, tasting blood in his mouth. When the burst of pain ended, he stayed on the ground, breathing heavily. Slowly the pain crept out of him, leaving a dull ache in his arm. _What was that?_ he wondered, pulling himself slowly into a sitting position.

Cloud grabbed his bed with his right arm to hoist himself to his feet. His legs shook under him. Dread blossoming in his stomach, he reached over to turn on the light.

"It's probably nothing." Cloud told his racing heart.

He took a stabilizing breath, and forced his eyes to his arm.

The room swayed around him, and he sat down on the bed quickly, looking away from his arm and gripping the covers under him tightly. A buzz of panic in his mind was keeping him from thinking straight. He looked at his arm again.

Faint bluish black marks tinged his skin.

Cloud stood up quickly, stumbling over his own feet. His breaths were coming in short, panicky gasps. _Calm down..._he told himself. _Got to think rationally..._ He spotted his travel bag on the floor at his feet. Quickly he snatched it up. He walked over to his desk and scrawled a quick note on a pad of paper.

_Tifa,_

_Had to leave on a job. Be back soon. Don't worry about me._

_Cloud_

He creaked his door open and tip-toed down the hall, sliding his note under the crack of Tifa's bedroom door. He made sure that the lower floor was empty, and swung open the front door, closing it quietly so he wouldn't wake anyone up. _Gotta do something about this..._he thought desperately, unable to accept it yet.

Cloud left on his motorcycle, fear settling uncomfortably in his stomach, but not quite grasping that Geostigma would cause him much more than justphysical pain.


	7. Let Go

A day later, Cloud stood outside the door to the Seventh Heaven withhis arm covered by a long sleeve. He had it worked out in his head how he was going to tell Tifa. _Just tell her about the Geostigma...it's not that hard._ But still he didn't open the door. He touched his arm gingerly. It didn't hurt with the same searing pain as the first night, but the combination of the dull ache, and the knowledge that he had an incurable disease, left him with a hollow feeling inside.

_Okay...this is it..._he thought, resting his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath before opening the door. Three heads jerked in his direction as he stepped into the bar area. Tifa, Denzel, and Marlene were the only ones there; they were eating an early lunch. Marlene and Denzel were running in his direction, but Tifa was ahead of them.

He began to say hello, but before he could get the words out, Tifa slapped her palm against his chest, scowling fiercely. He took an unsure step backwards, but before he could utter an apology, she wrapped her arms around him tightly in a hug.

"Tifa?" he asked, warily returning her embrace.

"You idiot," she whispered into his neck, her voice sounding more hurt than angry. "Leaving in the middle of the night after you were acting so strangely..."

"I'm sorry Tifa..." he muttered, resting his head on top of hers.

She ducked her head into his shoulder.

"I thought something was seriously wrong..." she said, her voice tiny.

_Tifa..._Cloud thought, breathing in her comforting scent. _Something is seriously wrong..._ But he couldn't bring himself to say it. _Not yet..._he told himself. _Later, I'll tell her later. _They pulled back from each other, and the children swarmed in on Cloud.

"Cloud!" Marlene sang, arms around his middle. "We made a_nother_ cake and this time we didn't ruin it!"

Denzel tugged on Cloud's sleeve. He adjusted it hastily.

"Guess what Cloud?" he said eagerly. "Tifa says if I feel better tomorrow, she'll take me and Marlene to the park!"

Cloud smiled at them, carefully hiding the tension in his face.

"A cake, huh?" he said to Marlene. "And the park?"

They nodded vigorously.

"Sounds good to me!" he told them.

"Come taste our cake!" Marlene urged. "It's _perfect_! And I made it!"

She tugged at his hand. Denzel scowled at her and pulled his other hand.

"I _helped_ make it Cloud!" he said, giving Marlene a look. "She barely did _any_thing."

He looked to Tifa helplessly as they both tugged him in opposite directioins. She gave him her first smile since he returned.

"Alright, alright..." she said, gently pulling the kids off him. "You both helped equally. Give Cloud some room to breath, I'm sure he'd love to taste your cake."

They both smiled in a care-free way and skipped back to the table to finish their lunch. Tifa gave Cloud an exasperated look and he scratched his head.

"Is this cake going to contain half a bag of sugar?" he asked cautiously.

Tifa smiled and led him to the table.

"Honestly?" she asked. "I have no idea what's in that cake. I didn't make it, remember?"

Cloud looked at the lumpy cake nervously. Marlene and Denzel gave him eager smiles. Tifa was trying to hide her laughter. She handed him a fork.

"Take a bite Cloud!" Denzel said happily.

Marlene pushed the cake closer. "It's _delicious!_ Take a bite!"

"Yea, Cloud!" Tifa said, muffling her giggles. "Take a bite!"

She laughed as he gave her a playful frown. Slowly he scooped some cake onto his fork. They leaned forward eagerly. He took a bite. His taste buds exploded as soon as it touched his tongue. He forced himself to swallow. Marlene and Denzel's faces gleamed with expectation. Tifa had her mouth covered, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Well?" Marlene asked.

Denzel carefully tried to evaluate Cloud's facial expression. "How is it?"

Cloud choked back a gag.

"Delicious..." he said, before stealing Marlene's milk and chugging it down. "Can I ask what's in it?"

Marlene and Denzel exchanged secret smiles.

"Our secret ingredient..." Denzel said mysteriously.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "And that would be?"

Marlene smiled sweetly. Cloud started to feel nervous. Tifa's smile faded slightly.

"What did you put in it?" Cloud asked them flatly.

"Nothing special..." she said slyly. "We just added one of the bottles that Tifa keeps on the top shelf behind the bar."

This time it was Cloud's turn to laugh loudly. Tifa's face was priceless. Marlene and Denzel laughed along too, not really knowing exactly why they were laughing. Finally, even Tifa joined. _I'll tell her tomorrow..._he thought, enjoying the happiness on her face. _No reason to ruin a perfectly good moment...

* * *

_

Late that night...

_For a minute, Cloud wasn't sure where he was. Then slowly, he recognized the scenery around him. He was on the streets of Midgar, at night...but somehow the scenery was eerier...more frightening. Cloud turned his head to the right, and then to his left, and found himself looking at Tifa. There was something strangely familiar about this scenario but he couldn't put his finger on it. _

_"What's going on Tifa?" he asked her._

_She turned and smiled at him._

_"We're going on a walk, remember Cloud?" she said cheerfully. _

_"Right." Cloud said, feeling strangely afraid. "A walk."_

_They walked forward several more feet when Cloud felt Tifa stop. _

_"What's wrong?" he asked curiously._

_"My hand, Cloud..." she said, wincing. "You're hurting me!"_

_He looked down at his hand and saw it squeezing Tifa's so tightly his knuckles were white, the bluish black marks of Geostigma showing up clearly in the streetlight. He panicked when he found he couldn't unclench his fist. He grabbed it with his other hand, trying to pry his fingers off Tifa's, but his grip was hard as steel. _

_"I can't Tifa! It won't let go!" he shouted fearfully. _

_Tifa began crying and trying to pull her hand away from his. Cloud clawed at his own hand desperately, Tifa's cries cutting through him. _

_"Let go of me Cloud..." she cried, tears spilling over her cheeks. _

_"I'm trying Tifa!" he said desperately. "I'm trying!"_

_Then suddenly, Tifa's cries turned to screaming. Cloud screamed too, when he saw why. Bluish black marks were snaking up Tifa's arm. _

_"Let go, Cloud!" she screamed, the Geostigma beginning to cover her shoulders. _

_Cloud began ripping at his own hand, doing anything to get it off of her. She sank to the ground and Cloud saw that her bare legs were covered in the marks too. _

_"You're killing me Cloud..." she said weakly. "Why can't you just let go?"_

_Cloud screamed as the marks began covering her face and Tifa fell into a heap on the ground. _

"Tifa!" he shouted, rolling out of bed with a thump. "Tifa!"

The door swung open and Tifa ran in.

"Cloud!" she said, rushing to his side fearfully. "What's wrong?"

Cloud's eyes were wild with fear as reached out to push her hair off her face, searching frantically for the the dark stains of Geostigma. He didn't see any. Slowly his heart slowed as he looked over her pajama-clad, Geostigma-free body. He cupped her face in his hands gently. Cloud noticed that he was on the floor in his bedroom, tangled in his covers, next to his bed. Tifa placed her hands over his, her face still fearful.

"A nightmare?" Cloud asked her, the aftermath of his dream still haunting him.

Tifa nodded and hugged him, stroking his hair tenderly. He breathed heavily into her shoulder.

"Just a nightmare Cloud..." she whispered comfortingly. "Everythings fine. I'm here, okay?"

_It's not okay..._Cloud thought desperately, his arms wrapping around her back and pulling her closer. _Nothing's okay... _But he didn't pull away from Tifa. He let her hold him, gently rubbing his shaking back, and giving him the comfort he had been longing for ever since he found the marks on his arm. Cloud let himself be soothed by Tifa's soft touch, and hated himself for it. _You're going to die and leave her alone..._he told himself. _Why are you letting her be close to you? _

He lifted up, to tell Tifa that she should go back to bed and leave him, but the words died in his throat when her brown eyes met his and she placed a soft hand against his face. When she asked him if he wanted her to stay with him until he fell asleep, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

_I'm not ready to let go of you..._Cloud thought, his head next to Tifa's on his pillow. Guilty pain stabbed at his heart as soon as this thought crossed his mind. He pressed his lips to her forehead, arms clutching her to him. _I'm not ready..._

_

* * *

_

The early-morning light crept through the window, penatrating Cloud's eye-lids and causing him to burry his face in his pillow. He opened his eyes blearily when his face brushed against soft skin. His eyes met Tifa's peaceful, slumbering face. Smilng groggily, he reached out to touch her cheek.

A sudden image of bluish black marks staining Tifa's beautiful face caused his to draw his hand back as though it had been burned. He sat up in bed, rubbing his face, trying to get rid of the mental image. His left arm ached as he did so. Cloud turned his gaze back to Tifa, who was stirring. _Idiot..._he thought, metally berrating himself. _Why didn't you tell her last night...instead of letting her sleep in your bed with you?_

But as Tifa sleepily opened her eyes, Cloud felt some of his self-anger slip away.

"Cloud..." Tifa said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay Tifa." he said quietly, unable to stop himself from looking her face over for the marks.

She took one look at his haunted eyes and shifted slightly, placing her hand on his arm.

"Are you alright Cloud?" she asked anxiously. "You scared me last night."

_No..._he answered mentally, remembering the way Tifa had cried and screamed in his dream.

"I'm fine Tifa..." he lied, trying to smile reassuringly.

She lowered her eyes.

"You know Cloud..." she began quietly. "I'm here if you ever need to talk about it."

Cloud closed his eyes painfully. He felt Tifa kiss his cheek and get out of the bed. He opened his eyes and watched her leave the room, a dull ache in his chest._ I'm going to tell Tifa soon..._he vowed weakly. _I've got to accept that she's going to move on with her life...without me._


	8. Heartache

_This time I'm going to do it..._Cloud told himself firmly as he drove into Sector Seven. His Geostigma had gotten worse in the two weeks he had been away. It was getting harder and harder to hide it from Tifa. He was just lucky that no one had questioned his new sleeve that hid his Geostigma, just the way no one had questioned Tifa when she cut her long hair to the middle of her back. Apparently they just accepted his sleeve as a new addition to his wardrobe.

_Funny isn't it?..._Cloud mused glumly. _My conflict changed from telling Tifa I'm in love with her...to telling her that I'm dying..._Cloud grimaced and gripped his handlebars tightly. _You could still tell her how you feel..._a sly little voice inside him voiced. But Cloud just shook his head. _Not now...that's one thing I can never tell her. I'm not going to be that selfish...Besides, what kind of future could we have? All it could end in is pain for Tifa..._He gave a ragged sigh as Seventh Heaven came into his sightline.

_Don't let yourself get caught up in Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel like last time..._he commanded himself. _If you keep letting yourself have fun with them...you'll never be able to let them go. _He braced himself before opening the door. Cloud sighed in relief when no one came running. He stood in the doorway for another moment, needing a second to pull himself together. Finally he stood up straight and looked around. _Now, where's Tifa?_

He checked his watch. Tifa was probably shepherding the kids into bed. Cloud began walking up the stairs. The house was silent. When he reached the second floor hallway, he peeked into Marlene's room, only to find it empty. _Strange..._he thought idly, reaching over to check the spare room where Denzel slept, along with the occasional orphan that stayed with them. A furrow appeared in Cloud's brow when he felt that the room was locked. _Why would Tifa lock that door?_ he wondered, beginning to feel uneasy. _Something strange is going on here..._Cloud walked down to Tifa's door, which was opened a crack. He peered in.

_There they are..._he thought with relief. But he was still slightly confused and uneasy. Both Marlene and Denzel were tucked into Tifa's bed, and she was sitting on the edge, talking to them softly. Marlene and Denzel were both sniffling slightly, their faces distressed. Tifa reached out every now and then to smooth their hair.

"Just for tonight then, okay?" she said softly, pulling a blanket over the two of them. "I know today was...hard...but we're going to be alright. Try to fall asleep now..."

She paused a minute to kiss them goodnight.

"I'll be in a little while, alright? Everything is going to be okay..." she whispered softly as she stood up from the bed.

Cloud backed away from the door quickly. Tifa's eyes were lowered as she slipped through it. He cleared his throat quickly, so Tifa wouldn't walk straight into him.

"Hello..." he said quietly.

Tifa's eyes jumped up, but they lacked the usual sparkle they usually had when she looked at him. She didn't return his greeting, but stood in front of him, face blank of a smile, or any emotion for that matter. The uneasiness returned to Cloud full force.

"Tifa?" he asked warily, reaching out to her.

His hands closed on her shoulders, but she turned her head away, still not responding to him.

"Tifa..." he said anxiously. "Talk to me...what's wrong?"

She just squeezed her eyes shut and took a step away from him. His hands fell from her shoulders. Her arms wrapped around herself tightly, as though she were holding herself together.

"Did something bad happen?" he asked breathlessly.

Finally, Tifa looked at him directly. She nodded slowly. Cloud immediately forgot about his own problems for a minute. Tifa didn't move as he stepped forward and placed his arms lightly around her shoulders, ushering her forward.

"Come on Tifa..." he said quietly. "We'll go talk in my room."

They walked into Cloud's room silently, and he shut the door behind him. When he turned around, Tifa had her back turned. Cloud stared at her back for a minute, unsure and a little aprehensive. He put his hand on her shoulder gently. She turned around so quickly, it made him jump. He took an unsteady step backwards. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around herself, her eyes frightfully blank.

"Tifa...please talk to me..." he said, his voice low and anxious. "What happened?"

Tifa turned her back to him again, and he was about to reach out to her again when she spoke.

"A child came to stay with us a couple days ago..." she whispered so softly Cloud took a step forward to hear her.

"And?" he prompty quietly.

"He had Geostigma...must have been about Marlene and Denzels age..." she continued blankly. "And everything was fine until...today..."

Her voice died.

"Tifa?" Cloud whispered. "What happened today?"

She turned around quickly, and for the first time, Cloud could see the anguish in her face.

"Cloud, he died!" she bursted out, before facing her back to him again.

Cloud watched her back, speechless for a minute. _A child died..._he thought painfully. _We all knew Geostigma was fatal but...I guess this is a reality check._ He gripped his left arm tightly for a minute. When Tifa turned back around her face was blank again.

"Tifa..." he said softly. "I'm sorry..."

He reached a hand out to her, but she backed away shaking her head. Cloud could see her jaw quivering. She clenched it shut. Her eyes were squeezed shut too. She seemed to be struggling against tears. Cloud took a step towards her. She seemed frozen to the spot.

"Tifa...It's okay to cry..." he whispered.

A single tear trailed down her cheek, but she swatted it away angrily. She opened her eyes and glared at Cloud, hands curled into fists at her side.

"No, it's not okay!" she snapped. "How am I supposed to cry, when Marlene and Denzel are already so scared? They need me to be strong for them, I can't go around wearing my fear and pain out on my sleeve for them to see! I can't..."

She stopped talking and pressed her hands firmly against her eyes, breathing heavily. Cloud took another step towards her, heart painfully heavy. He gently placed his hands on her arms.

"Tifa..." he said quietly. "You don't have to hide your pain from me..."

Tifa's hand dropped from her eyes, and in an instant, she dropped all her walls. Cloud was forced to fall back a step as she threw her arms around his neck, crying so heartwrenchingly that it hurt Cloud's insides. He wrapped his arms tightly around her back, head burried into her dark hair. Cloud could feel the wetness of her tears seeping through his shirt.

"Cloud..." she bawled, clinging to him tightly.

He sat them both down on the edge of his bed, stroking her back and hair, trying to soothe her pain.

"It's okay Tifa..." he whispered, rocking her gently back and forth. "I'm here..."

She pulled back slightly, and it pained Cloud to see the grief in her eyes. He gently wiped the tears off her cheeks, but new ones soon replaced them. Her face crinkled up and she ducked her face into her chest again. Cloud rubbed her back gently, and she began talking, her voice muffled by his shirt and by her sobs.

"He was just a child Cloud..." she sobbed, pressing her face into his shirt. "It was horrible...and Marlene and Denzel were there...they saw it too..."

She stopped for a minute to catch her breath, choking slightly over her tears.

"And Denzel has Geostigma..." she whispered, another sob ripping from her chest. "And he saw...he _knows_...Marlene knows..."

Cloud couldn't do anything, but pull her closer. _There's nothing I can say..._he thought painfully, holding Tifa against him. He let her cry herself out, running soothing hands through her hair and gently over her quaking back. Slowly, her sobs quieted, and her breathing deepened. He knew she was asleep, but he held her still, not ready to pull away yet.

Finally, he shifted Tifa in his arms slightly, so he could pick her up. She remained asleep, nuzzling her face into his shoulder; her pain had wore her out. Cloud carried her down the hall and into her dark room. The children were both sound asleep in her bed. One-handedly, he flicked the covers down and laid Tifa down in the bed next to them. Slowly, he knelt next to her.

"Tifa..." he whispered, pushing her hair gently off her face.

Light from the moon crept through the window, and the tears on Tifa's face shone brightly. Cloud wiped them away. Even when the tears were gone, Cloud couldn't bring himself to pull his hands away from the soft skin of her cheek. Pain shot through his heart.

"I love you Tifa..." he breathed, so quietly he could barely hear himself. "But I can't tell you that."

He smiled painfully, running a hand through her silky hair.

"And I have Geostigma...but I can't tell you that either." he whispered, watching her beautiful face as she slept, unaware of his confessions. "I never want to be the cause of your tears Tifa..."

Cloud pulled the covers up over her. He gently caressed her cheek, and pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead. He pulled away slightly, and then bent back down, kissing her gently on her lips. When he pulled up, Tifa had new tears on her cheeks, but this time they were his. Cloud wiped them off her face with shaking fingers. She slept on, face peaceful.

"Goodnight Tifa..." he whispered.

He walked out of the room, closing the door gently. That night, he tossed and turned in his own bed. He wasn't sure what hurt more, the Geostigma in his arm, or the pain in his heart.


	9. A Forgotten Embrace

It was another stormy Sunday evening, and Cloud away again. Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel had lamented over the nasty weather for most of the morning, but soon found other ways to entertain themselves. The tables in the bar were covered with various pictures the kids had drawn, and a few Tifa had drawn, just to humor them. When coloring got boring, Tifa taught them to play cards. Ten games later, the kids were growing restless. Tifa had sighed, knowing that in the end, they'd be playing princess and dragons as always.

"No, no, _no_, Tifa!" Marlene said, shaking her head.

Denzel nodded emphatically.

"You're doing it _all_ wrong!" he said wisely.

Tifa threw her hands up in exasperation. Her paper tiara fell off her head.

"What am I doing wrong?" she asked, picking it back up.

Marlene gave her a stern look and straightened the tiara ontop of Tifa's dark hair.

"The princess is supposed to scream _louder_ Tifa!" Marlene scolded. "Much louder!"

"Especially when the dragons are trying to bite her arms off!" Denzel added helpfully.

Tifa gave the two children, who were wearing tin foil over their fingers as "dragon claws", a slightly nervous look.

"Don't you want to be the princess for a change, Marlene?" Tifa asked the little girl hopefully.

Marlene gave Tifa an incredulous look.

"Princess?" she asked, wrinkling her nose disdainfully. "Being a dragon is _much_ more fun!"

Tifa sighed, but turned to Denzel, not ready to give up.

"Do we really need two dragons?" she asked, wincing slightly.

Marlene and Denzel exchanged devious smiles and nodded simulataniously.

"Yes we do!" Denzel said sweetly.

"If there was only one dragon Tifa..." Marlene began matter-of-factly. "The princess might actually win the fight for once!"

Tifa gave them an amused look.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" she asked.

Marlene and Denzel clucked thier tongues disaprovingly.

"Tifa..." Denzel sighed. "The game's only fun when you get your arms bitten off!"

Marlene fluttered her eyelashes innocently at Tifa. Tifa sighed defeatedly and pinned the tiara firmly into her hair.

"Okay then..." Tifa said glumly. "Scream louder, right?"

The kids nodded vigorously.

"And more _realistic_ Tifa!" Denzel urged.

"Yea!" Marlene added. "Don't use your fake scream okay?"

_You need to go to acting school if you want to please these two..._Tifa thought, retreating to the barstool that had been dubbed "the princess's castle." She sat, back facing towards the children, who she knew would pounce any minute. Tifa bit back a smile as she heard the low growls behind her. _Here we go..._she thought.

Marlene jumped on her back, roaring in a dragon-like way. Denzel grabbed her by the leg, pretending to sink three-inch long fangs into it. In the middle of the attack, they gave her expectant looks. Tifa quickly hid her smile and let out a ear-piercing, terrified, and realistic scream. She slid off the barstool and onto the floor, holding her hands up feebly to ward off their attacks. The children jumped on her, roaring and pretending to breath fire.

"Don't eat me!" Tifa screamed as Marlene poised her teeth threateningly above her arm.

Denzel and Marlene both barred their teeth and showed her their shiny, tin foil claws. Giving another convincing scream, Tifa jumped up off the floor and onto her feet. The children chased her around the bar, roaring loudly.

"Somebody help!" Tifa cried, as they succeeded in cornering her. "The dragons are after me! They're going to eat me!"

The kids laughed gleefully at Tifa's faked, yet convincing terror, and advanced menacingly. Tifa screamed again as Denzel swiped at her with his fake claws. She cowered as Marlene pretended to breath fire on her.

"Help!" Tifa screeched.

Just as Tifa gave her most convincing scream yet, and pretended to sink to the floor in a faint, Cloud came running into the bar, face pale. The children immediately noticed him, and stopped their attack on Tifa with wide smiles, but their smiles slid right off their faces when they saw Cloud, rushing forward, his face panicked.

Tifa stayed crumpled on the floor, eyes squeezed shut. _They're usually arguing over who gets to eat my legs, and who gets the arms by now..._Tifa thought, patiently awaiting Marlene and Denzel's attack. But she was surprised when, instead of the assault of fake claws, she felt two gloved hands brush across her shoulders. Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself looking into two bright mako eyes.

"Finally!" Tifa said, sitting up quickly. "Someone who wants to _save _the princess...not bite her arms and legs off!"

Tifa threw Marlene and Denzel a joking frown, but the kids were staring at Cloud, solemn faced. Uneasily, Tifa turned to Cloud. He was standing now, a hand to his forehead, breathing heavily. Marlene approached him cautiously.

"It's just a game, Cloud..." Marlene said, her fear-inducing dragon voice gone.

Denzel came up beside her, looking up at Cloud.

"Tifa wasn't really getting attacked by dragons..." Denzel said pleadingly. "We weren't even really biting her!"

Cloud faced the children and gave them a tense smile.

"It's alright." Cloud told them. "I know it's a game...I just...uhh."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Why don't you two go play in the livingroom?" he suggested quickly.

They nodded quickly and scampered off. Tifa got to her feet warily, brushing herself off. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. He was tense under her hand.

"Cloud?" she asked him quietly. "What's wrong?"

He turned around, again attempting a smile.

"Nothing Tifa..." he told her, removing her hand gently. "When did you become such a good actress?"

Cloud gave a hollow uncharacteristic laugh before sitting down in one of the chairs. Tifa watched him anxiously, unsure of what exactly was wrong. _Cloud hasn't been himself lately..._Tifa thought, sitting down next to him. _I wish...I wish he'd just tell me what's wrong..._

"Did that really upset you so much?" Tifa asked quietly.

Cloud's head snapped up.

"I just saw you and I thought...I thought..." Cloud's voice faltered and died.

He sighed and shook his head.

"Nevermind Tifa..." Cloud said lowly. "Let's just forget about it, okay?"

Tifa nodded, feeling slightly unsettled by Cloud's dull tone and unhappy eyes. He had his head in his hand. _Why are you so sad Cloud? _Tifa wondered, forehead creasing in worry. She placed a hand on his shoulder again.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" she asked, her words thick with concern.

Her stomach clenched unpleasantly as he pushed her hand away.

"I said let's just forget about it." Cloud sighed, turning away.

Tifa clutched her hands to her chest and stared at Cloud, hurt. _Why are you pushing me away like this, Cloud?_ she wondered, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. _Did I...do something wrong?_ She wanted to voice these questions, but the words died in her throat. It seemed as though there was an invisible wall in between them, and there was nothing she would love to do more, than rip that wall down as quickly as it had formed.

Cloud turned towards Tifa, and his insides twisted painfully when he saw the hurt in her eyes. _You put that look on her face..._Cloud told himself accusingly. _It's because of you..._For what felt like the millionth time that day, he tried to force a smile.

"I'm sorry Tifa." he told her, trying to hide the tension in his voice. "I must be more tired than I thought I was."

He stood up quickly.

"I think I'll go to bed now, okay?" Cloud voiced, before leaving the room.

Tifa watched his retreating back, before staring sadly into her lap. _You usually give me a hug when you come home Cloud..._she thought lowering her eyes further. She stayed at the table, somehow unable to motivate herself to get up. _When did things change?_ she wondered. _I thought we were all happy...I thought me and Cloud were..._She sighed achingly, unable to finish that thought.

* * *

Up in his room, Cloud barely resisted the urge to shred his covers into pieces as he collapsed on his bed. _You knew..._he told himself bluntly. _You knew that no matter how you decided to do this, that it would hurt Tifa..._But that didn't stop the hurt in her eyes from flashing in his mind every time he closed his eyes. His arm gave a jolting burst of pain, and he was glad that he had decided to retreat to his room. 

_What would I have done if I had fallen unconscious right there in the bar?_ Cloud thought, grimacing and pressing down on his arm. _I've already decided I can't tell Tifa...I'm not going back outon that now. _As the pain overtook his body, he became less certain. He imagined Tifa by his beside, speaking to him softly, and reassuring him that she wouldn't leave...that she'd help him get through it. But he angrily pushed the thought aside. _You're weak Cloud..._he thought with disgust. _Can't even deal with your own problems without dragging Tifa into them..._

Slowly, the pain of Geostigma overtook all his thoughts. Before he had been infected, he never would have imagined that he would ever forget to hug Tifa hello. Because before Geostigma, his world had revolved around that hug, had revovled around Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel's happy faces as he returned home from a job. But as he was robbed of consciousness, he fell into a dark and frightening world, where the pain and his weakness were his all that occupied his thoughts.


	10. A Painful End

**Author's note: **This is going to be the last chapter of Here I Return. I've decided that Here I Return is no longer a prequel to One Last Time. The two stories don't seem to connect that well anymore. Instead of finishing One Last Time, I'm planning writing a (very spolierific) novelisation of Advent Children that will connect to Here I Return. Or I might write a story taking place _after_ Advent Children for those that have already seen it...we'll see! Anyways...enjoy!

* * *

Weeks had passed, and still Cloud didn't leave Seventh Heaven. But life was different now. Though Seventh Heaven was still his home, life there wasn't the happy exisistence that it once was. In fact, Cloud only slept there once or twice every week. He'd return very late, after everyone was in bed, and leave the next morning, as early as possible. The Geostigma was getting harder and harder to hide. He'd try to leave before anyone woke up in the morning, but he never managed to slip out without seeing Tifa.

Cloud sighed as the sun's rays crept through his window. He had just come back the previous night, but he had overslept this morning. He could already hear Tifa moving around in the kitchen. Cloud had been hoping that he'd be able to creep out just this once without her seeing him. Because this time, he wasn't planning on coming back home. _This would all be so much easier if she would just..._Cloud sighed again, not completing his thought.

As he slipped into his travel clothes, he wondered briefly what Tifa would be like this morning. Some mornings, she smiled at him as she made breakfast and brushed her fingertips along his back as she passed by. She would make light-hearted conversation, and when his replies were all short and indifferent, she'd hide the hurt in her eyes with a smile. Those mornings it was easier for him to pretend that Tifa was doing alright.

Other mornings, there were no smiles from Tifa. She'd make breakfast for him like always, but her shoulders would slump as she did so, and instead of asking him about where he was going, what he was delivering, she'd sigh sadly and listlessly. Sometimes he'd catching her staring at him, but they'd both quickly look away whenever they met each other's eyes. It was that stare that bothered Cloud the most. _Like a brown-eyed puppy..._he thought, shaking his head. _Just like an abandoned puppy..._Those mornings were the hardest.

As he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen with his travel bag, he knew immediately what kind of morning this one was going to be. The sound of his feet against the kitchen floor caused Tifa to look up from the stove. Her eyes flicked from his face to the travel bag, and she turned around immediately, her eyes lowering back to her cooking.

"Eggs?" she asked softly, back turned to him.

Cloud grunted a yes before slumping into one of the chairs. Tifa continued cooking in silence. Cloud glumly rested his chin in his hand. Marlene and Denzel were much easier to appease nowadays; all they wanted was his rapt attention as they chattered on about this or that. He could tell that they too were beginning to notice something was wrong, but their worries were quickly forgotten if Cloud presented them with some sort of knick-knack from his travels.

Tifa on the other hand...Cloud sighed. He knew that his presence was beginning to take a toll on her. _She probably thinks I don't trust her enough to tell her what's going on._ Cloud thought, watching her slumped shoulders. _But even if I told Tifa, she would be helpless to do anything. She hates being helpless._ Cloud lowered his eyes to the table. _I'm no good to anyone anymore._

Cloud gave a little jump as his breakfast-filled plate slide onto the table. He glanced up. Tifa was back over by the stove, fixing herself a plate. She sat down across from him, and he began eating silently. _The good food is about the only thing that hasn't changed around here..._Cloud thought, shoveling eggs into his mouth. Between bites he looked back up at Tifa. She was twirling her fork absently between her fingers, seemingly lost in thought. She seemed to notice him staring, and quickly took a few bites of her breakfast. When she thought he wasn't looking anymore, she continued fiddling with the fork, staring unfocusedly at the table.

The somber silence at the table was broken as two small pajama-clad figures came running into the kitchen. Marlene and Denzel were the exact opposite of Cloud and Tifa this morning; bursting with energy and happiness. They skidded to a stop in front of the table and crowded around Cloud, both talking at once.

"Cloud!" Marlene said happily, stealing a bite of pancake from his plate.

"How come you're here so late?" Denzel asked, tugging at his sleeve.

An excited smile came across Marlene's face and she let the bacon she was about to steal from Cloud, fall back to the plate.

"Are you here so late because..." she began happily. "You're staying for today?"

When Cloud was silent, the two children turned to Tifa. Tifa simply shook her head and stood up to fix them a plate. Comprehension dawned on their little faces as they saw Cloud's travel bag. For a moment, their faces were as sad as Tifa's. But the two children exchanged glances, and slowly their smiles came back.

"So Cloud..." Marlene began cheerfully.

"Do you want to hear about our week?" Denzel asked eagerly, sitting down next to Cloud.

He nodded, and the two children talked rambunctiously throughout breakfast.

* * *

After they had all finished eating, and the children ran out of things to chat about, Cloud stood up to leave. He grabbed his bag and turned to Tifa briefly before leaving the table.

"Thanks for breakfast." he said.

Tifa nodded, eyes following him as he turned around and began walking out of the kitchen. Denzel hopped up and followed him, Marlene on his tail. Just before leaving the kitchen, Marlene turned back towards Tifa who was still sitting at the table. Marlene cocked her head to the side and gave Tifa a curious look.

"Aren't you coming?" Marlene asked, grabbing Tifa by the hand.

Tifa stood silently and allowed Marlene to lead her out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Cloud was pulling his boots on, Denzel watching him. When Denzel saw Tifa and Marlene come into the entrance way, he ran over to them, grabbing ahold of Tifa's other hand. Cloud looked up at them when he was done tying his shoes. He seemed to freeze for a minute, a look of hesistance on his face as he looked over their forlorn faces and linked hands.

Marlene and Denzel ran forward to say goodbye. Cloud briefly clapped a hand on Denzel shoulder, and patted Marlene on the head as she slung her arms around his middle. After the kids released him, his hand reached towards the doorknob, but a disbelieving huff of air coming from Marlene stopped him. He turned around to look at her incredulous face.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Tifa?" she asked him, a touch of anger in her voice.

He stared at her a minute, then his eyes strayed over to Denzel. Denzel looked away quickly, shuffling his feet. Finally Cloud looked towards Tifa. The hurt in her eyes was enough to make him want to drop dead where he stood.

"Bye Tifa..." he said, beginning to turn back towards the door.

Another huff of air from Marlene made him stop. He looked at the little girl, and the look on her face was almost as painful as the one on Tifa's; Marlene was disappointed in him. Cloud let go of the doorknob and looked towards Tifa again. She was trying hard to hide that there were tears in her eyes. He took a step towards her.

"Tifa..." he began, walking towards her.

He was stopped in his tracks when all the sudden, Marlene sprung into motion. In a split second, Marlene was between him and Tifa, her arms wrapped around Tifa's waist, and glaring at Cloud. Cloud took an unsure step backwards, and Marlene barred her teeth like a wild animal, contorting her face frighteningly, as Cloud had once taught her too. Tifa and Denzel stared at Marlene in surprise and shock, but Cloud understood the significance of the face Marlene was making.

Cloud began walking toward the door again. He paused for a moment to say goodbye, before letting the door click shut behind him.

* * *

After the door closed, Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel didn't move or speak at first. This goodbye had seemed a lot more final than all the other...much colder. Finally Marlene broke the silence, letting go of her tight grip around Tifa's waist and thundering up the stairs. Tifa and Denzel jumped slightly as they heard the door to Marlene's bedroom slam shut. Tifa looked at the floor blankly, doing the best she could to control her emotions. Denzel tugged at her hand.

"Tifa?" he asked her, peering at her face.

Tifa looked at him quickly. His face was begging her for answers. _I don't have any answers..._Tifa thought desperately. _I'm just as lost as he is..._She shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

Denzel lowered his eyes and nodded. Tifa's eyes followed him sadly as he traced Marlene's steps up the stairs. When she was alone in the entrance way, she pulled back the curtains to peek out the window. All traces of Cloud were gone. She flicked away a tear hastily and went to clean up the remnants of their breakfast. As she cleaned the plates, she had a heart-breaking suspicion that it would be the last time she would clean four plates after breakfast.

A week passed, then one week became two...then three...Cloud did not return.


End file.
